Hundreds of skydivers soar to victory in Stephen Sutton’s memory

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403 people have taken part in a group skydive to commemorate Steven Sutton, the inspiring cancer patient and charity activist who passed away on 14 May 2014.

Organised by Teenage Cancer Trust, the event was named 'Skydive for Stephen' and took place at Hibaldstow Airfield in Lincolnshire.

The participants, who included Stephen’s mother Jane (below) and other friends and family members, soared down a breath-taking 10,000 ft to record-breaking success, achieving the title for the Most tandem parachute jumps in 24 hours – a record Stephen had his heart set on breaking before his untimely death.

They flew past the previous record which was set by Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation (USA) in September 2014, when 286 skydivers took part.

Speaking of the record, Stephen’s mum Jane said, “We all did Stephen proud today by smashing the record and carrying on his fundraising legacy. Thank you to everyone who took part. Stephen was adventurous, had no fear and lived his life with no regrets. He would have been so impressed to see how many people he inspired to jump out of a plane today.”

Stephen raised over £5 million for young cancer patients – earning himself an MBE – and this record attempt aimed to continue his legacy and collect more funds to help support young people in the UK who are living with the difficult diagnosis of cancer.

Entry to the event was a £50 donation to Teenage Cancer Trust.

Kate Collins, Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Teenage Cancer Trust, who also took part in the record attempt, said, “Stephen has helped Teenage Cancer Trust move our work for young people with cancer forwards and, even after his death, his positivity and inspiration continues. Not only did we smash the Guinness World Records title today but we raised money that will help support teenagers and young adults across the UK facing a diagnosis of cancer.”

However, Stephen previously shared a bucket list on which he said he would love to “get [his] name in the Guinness World Records book somehow”.